I Hope So
by 0nesh0t
Summary: Souma asked the pale girl, "Will I ever see you again?" "I hope so"
1. Prologue

Alice x Souma

 _Hey, Alice, you think we're ever going to see each again?_

The ocean in the background interrupting their conversation had died down. It had been a few years since Souma's dad had introduced him to the pale skinned girl, but since then, they were inseparable. The 8-year-old Alice replied, "I hope so." This statement made both of them sad, as it neither confirmed nor rejected the idea they could ever reunite. Souma took this second to flashback to his earlier times with Alice.

/

 _Rattle. Rattle. Rattle._

Working in a kitchen, Saiba Joichiro had heard these noises many times. This time, he was too distracted working with customers as well as getting endlessly teased by Leonora to notice the plates on the top shelf about to drop. A young Alice, perhaps about 6 years old was standing to the side of her mother. Likewise, an astute Souma was standing next to his father preparing the vegetables. Souma reached for the salt on the shelf when he accidentally fell from a small ladder causing a big shake in the restaurant. _RATTLE! RATTLE! RATTLE!_

Souma quickly got up seeing as the plates were about to hit the young girl. Putting his hands up to shield her, the plates shattered over him giving him many cuts on his head, leaving a permanent scar on his brow as well. His father looked over shocked to see Souma's selfless action. What was initially shock turned into a humorous session for the two parenting adults. "Souma, who knew you had a thing for Alice-chan?" the two adults continued to mercilessly tease him. And although he was flustered from the statements, he was more interested in the girl's safety.

"You okay?" Souma asked. Alice was both flustered she didn't notice the plates, and the fact that another person besides her maids were talking to her. "Yeah," she replied with a light voice looking away from him. And although Souma nor Alice knew it at the time, Joichiro and Leonora both had a feeling they would get along well.

 _But how well?_


	2. Chapter 1

"WHAT?" Souma exclaimed to his father with no sign of restraint in his voice. How could he shut down the restaurant, the family diner, and perhaps the only thing left of his mom that was left? "Souma, it's time for you to understand something. Not everything will cater your way. This store will re-open in a few years. I'm going overseas to help some friends out. I'll send you to a school first." His father threw him a dirty smile, "besides, there's someone you'll probably want to see at that school, so brighten up." Souma stared at him with a blank expression during the entire lecture. He was too stubborn to listen to his dad, even though he knew he was correct.

A 15-Year-Old Souma was eager to explore the wonders of the culinary world. And while he wanted to stay by his family's diner while doing so, he would have to make a change of plans. But this culinary school was not what he expected. It was probably full of old teachers judging you from participation. "Say, dad, what kind of school is this?" Souma asked, to which he got no response. No matter how prestigious the school was, there wasn't a doubt in Souma or Saiba's mind that he would fail. He was an obvious cooking prodigy, beating his dad at the age of 12. "Souma… too great of a talent will collapse on itself."

 ** _A Week Later_**

"So, you're leaving now?" Souma said. Once again, no reply from his dad. On second thought, he never knew much about his dad, only a few good memories stuck with him throughout the years. A special one was held with a pale skinned, white-haired girl who had beautiful red eyes. He'd never seen her again sadly. Her name was also a mystery to him at this point. "Ah, no need to think about that now." he told himself. Afterall, it had been 7 years since then. He was a different person entirely, and a different cook as well.

Drifting off to sleep, he couldn't help but think of that person. Now wishing he could perhaps meet her again, he quickly dozed off dreaming about their past experiences together.

"Oji-Channnn" Alice groaned to her paternal grandfather. She was tired of being held back from Totsuki Culinary School unlike her honored cousin, The God's Tongue, Erina. She had always been in her shadow, even her family occasionally were more curious about Erina's wellbeing than hers. Her grandfather looked at her for a second, then replied, "Fine. You can start this year." Had Alice been expecting confirmation, perhaps she could've kept her calm composure, but instead jumped out of her seat in delight. "Ryo-kun pack my bags!" "Okay Ojou-sama."

Senzaemon had been planning on allowing her to get to Totsuki soon anyway. His old friend and student Saiba had allowed his son to go to the distinguished school. And as luck would have it, Alice and Souma were childhood friends.

/

The slow taxi, the traffic, the diner closing, this day was probably was one of his worst. Luckily, the drive was over, and as he woke up from his nap, he realized he was past his location. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?" Souma scolded the taxi driver. Not being fazed in the slightest, the taxi driver requested for the money for the long drive. Souma reached into his pocket. Nothing.

"Oi Souma, I'm gonna take some of your money."

His stupid father had taken his money without him even knowing. "Great…" he mumbled. The driver was not very pleased, his client had the audacity to scold him and not have the money to pay? The door slammed on Souma's face. It took a second for him to realize, but his driver just left him on the road. He stood up, thinking "Well, I could use the exercise." He took out his phone to see how far away Totsuki was. _60 Miles Away._ It was more of a marathon than a jog.

A few hours later he was finally able to see the fencing around the school. Fortunately, he got off the taxi at 8 in the morning, which meant it was now 12. "Just in time" he thought. Just then, he heard maybe hundreds upon thousands of students flooding the school courtyard. One of the students grabbed onto Souma's shoulders. "You…" he barely managed a whimper, "you need to get out of here!" And simultaneously, all his peers ran away. He was more than happy with this result, it'd be less distracting in the kitchen.

He walked up the few stairs leading to the kitchen. Inside, stood a blonde-haired girl, with a secretary that had pink hair. The sight was… awkward, the blonde-haired girl was holding her secretary's chin in an almost romantic position. "Uh, am I interrupting?" he interruptingly said. The two girls looked at him with an extremely red face, knowing they had been caught in such an embarrassing scene. Coughing to keep her dignity and composure, the blonde-haired girl asked Souma, "are you here for the transfer exam?"

Souma nodded his head, confirming. "Very well, cook a dish with egg that appeals to my palate and you will be granted access to the school. Failing to do so may ruin your culinary career. Are you sure of this?"

"Is that really a question?" Souma snapped back in a matter-of-fact tone. The Blond-Haired girl decided to introduce herself, since Souma probably was never going to see her again anyway.


	3. Chapter 2

"Egg?" he asked. "Well if that's what you want." In a flash, he took to the kitchen scavenging for ingredients for what he had in mind. Star anise, bay leaf, basmati rice, oil, ginger garlic paste, onions, and an assortment of other ingredients and spices. Meanwhile the pan was heating up, he whiffed the array of smells.

The two spectating girls couldn't help but get attracted to the wonderful smell. "What is he making?" Erina's secretary asked her. Even the famous god's tongue was at a loss for words as to what Souma could've been making. Souma saw the questioned looks on their faces and threw them a smirk. The two girls felt a rush of pink run up their face.

Souma prepared a pot of water to boil the eggs and added the spices to an already prepared sizzling pan. Filling up another pot with water, he inserted the basmati rice until it had drained in the water and became soft. He added onions to the pan, making it turn a golden shade of brown. Alongside the tomatoes, garlic paste, mint, and red chili paste he threw in there, the raw smell of the onion vanished, and the tomatoes became mushy.

Cutting open the eggs revealed the golden, yet solid yolk. He grabbed a fork to fluff the rice and served it with Raita, a traditional Indian condiment consisting of vegetables that he made with yogurt, cilantro, cucumber, green onion, ground coriander, and ground cumin.

"Enjoy!" Souma exclaimed as he set down three separate plates in from of Erina's secretary and Erina.

Erina looked at the dish, confused. "If I may ask, what is this dish?" she asked. Souma looked at her as if she should've known what it was. "It's an Indian dish, Egg Biryani."

Erina and her secretary, Hisako didn't wait for another second of Souma's explanation and they immediately began devouring the aromatic dish. Seeing the enjoyment in their eyes, Souma had halted his explanation as they loosened up as if he wasn't there. As Erina slipped into her dream world, Souma pulled the dish away from her, "Oh? I thought I was just a lowly diner boy. I wouldn't want to ruin your palate, so I'll just take this away now."

Erina blushed realizing she had nearly finished the bowl. "Plea- "she managed to say before coming to her senses. She had never been one to plead for food, especially that of a diner boy. But once again, the smell of the food attracted her to it. "Please!" she finally let out. The boy smirked and returned the bowl of food. She gulped down the dish in what seemingly looked like one gulp. Placing it down, she let out tears of embarrassment and immediately began pouting.

"So, what's your verdict?"

"Disgusting!"

Souma's face was smiling bright for one second, but when those words exited Erina's mouth, Souma took on a face mixed with shock and confusion. "Uh what?" he asked making sure he wasn't deaf. "You heard me!"

"Oh, come on now Erina, you shouldn't let your feelings get the best of you" someone in the background chimed. A dark-haired figure accompanied a petite pale girl had entered the building. "Alice?!" Erina asked in anger, her grandfather has promised she wouldn't need to see her teasing cousin again.

"Alice…" Souma's face went dark. Alice looked at him for a second, but that was all it took for her to feel something brewing in her stomach. She had felt like she knew him, although both Ryo and Erina were sure they'd never met before. "Your cousin is way too egoistical and strict," Souma continued, lightening the mood. Alice could only nod her head in agreement, "Right?"

Erina, not liking where the conversation was headed interrupted the two. "Yukihira Souma, you're denied entry to th- "Alice stopped Erina mid-sentence by tickling her. "Oh, you really did seem to like it a second ago." Seeing as there was another plate, Alice repeated his name, thanking him for the meal.

Only after the first taste, even Alice was impressed by how much care and flavor was packed into the dish. Not only could she tell every ingredient that was included, but they all had played a role in the bigger picture, the overall dish. After eating her share, and leaving the rest for her aide to try, she wiped her mouth and was more than vocal about her enjoyment of the dish. "Yukihira Souma-kun, that was really good! I'd say it's almost as good as my dishes", but Alice knew she was envious of Souma's talent.

With a hard slam, Ryo was more than energized and put on his bandana. Beginning to shout, this made Alice even more surprised as she had never seen Ryo put on the bandana from eating someone else's food.

"YUKIHIRA SOUMAAAAA, WHERE DID YOU LEARN HOW TO COOK?"

"From my dad, in a diner."

The words diner rang around the room. How was it possible he was such a prodigy at cooking from learning in a second-class environment? Alice, more confused about something else asked Souma how he had gotten his scar. Souma replied, "I was working in a restaurant with my dad and this other white-haired lady. There was another girl who was about to get hit with plates, so I shielded her." Alice, remembering her first friend had thought about the possibility that Souma might've been that person. "No…" she mumbled. "Hmm?" Souma questioned. "Oh, it's nothing! I, Nakiri Alice grant you entry to the school. No need for Erina-chan!"

Both Erina and Alice knew the rules, if a Nakiri grants someone into the school they cannot be declined by another person. No matter if it was Senzaemon, Azami, or even Alice's mother, they would still be eligible to enter. Erina groaned, ready for an annoying year filled with annoyances from her cousin, eating bad food, spectating Shokugeki's, and of course putting up with Souma. Alice winked at Souma, "I'll be seeing you around, Souma-kun."

Souma replied, "Yeah, you too," before turning to Erina and saying, "You should be more like Alice, Mrs. God's Tongue." Alice blushed with no opportunity to hide her face. That was the first time someone had even compared the two, nonetheless telling Erina to be like Alice. Turning to Souma, very obviously flustered, she was able to whimper out "tha-thank you Souma-kun" with her head looking in the opposite direction the entire time.

Souma not realizing his compliment simply said, "No problem." He started walking towards the exit into the school when over the announcements, the director called him.

 _ **40 Minutes Later**_

"So, uh, guess I'm your guys new classmate. I'll be looking forward to a good year with all of you! Good luck in the school everyone."

Practically all the girls were smitten with Souma. Screaming and grabbing to try to make it to him, Souma only noticed Alice in the audience. He threw her a wave and a smile, which she happily returned. Souma sighed once he got to the backstage. "Guess I got tomorrow to look forward to" he thought.


	4. Chapter 3

The applause in the audience erupted. Everyone had heard the news about the transfer student essentially acing Erina "The God Tongue" Nakiri's test, the one where everyone else was too frightened to even attempt. And although most of the guys in the crowd were urging for competition and a formidable opponent chef, the girls cheered for Souma for a different reason. Ryo smirked, "This'll be a good year." Alice stared at him in confusion. Unknown to her however, this would be the best year of her life.

/

The sky was dark, the road cut off halfway, and it was cold. _Cold._ Souma could nearly feel his body freeze up, and perhaps if he didn't sneakily steal an apron from the kitchen, he would've been a human popsicle. Thankfully, he had heard a positive review from his father about the place he was going to, the Polar Star Dormitory. "It's a really bright place! Rest assured you'll have a great time there." Of course, like everything else his father told him, Souma took it with a grain of salt.

When he was 5, his father promised him that his dish would be good, only to serve him dried sardines garnished with strawberry jam. _"Well… the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree"_ he thought. The wind interrupting his thoughts, he realized he had finally arrived at some sort of run-down haunted house. Getting closer to it, he read a sign. The sign said Polar Star. Souma stood there for a second and spent the next few minutes screaming into the air.

"What kind of father is he?" Souma helplessly exclaimed.

He gave it a second thought, maybe don't judge a book by its cover, maybe the inside would be covered with bright lights, colorful decoration, and tons of likable people who would be enjoyable to be around. Opening the door, clouded by his thoughts, Souma forgot to consider the possibility the dormitory would be every bit as bland on the outside. And unfortunately, it was.

"Bright place…" he muttered under his breath.

"Huh? Another visitor?" an old woman came out of the shadows turning on the lights.

The woman took another good look at Souma, holding her chin in place wondering who he reminded her of. "Well?" Souma asked, "You going to show me to my room?" On second look, the old woman realized he had no ingredients. Cackling, she revealed to Souma about Polar Star's famous entry exam. A moment of silence was up in the air, before Souma asked her, "You have any leftovers?" Widening her eyes and asking him to repeat himself just to make sure she wasn't hearing things, she told him, "I'm not the kind of lady to just accept any cooking you know!"

Souma nodded, "Of course ma'am, but I'm no regular chef either."

"My name is Fumio, brat. Remember it well."

Travelling to the kitchen, Fumio presented Souma his ingredients. Starving for dinner, Fumio demanded he cook her a full course meal. Once again, as he did this morning, he went on a trip to search for whatever ingredients he was offered. Tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, black beans, canned broth, lettuce and luckily, a piece of beef.

Getting a medium pot, he combined the diced tomatoes, black beans, and some of the vegetable broth to a simmer, seasoning with salt and pepper. He put the lid over the cover and moved on to his next dish.

Shredding small pieces of beef, and slicing the fresh tomato, he prepared the lettuce in a bowl. He was planning to make a Caprese Salad, dressed with black bean soup and beef. Cooking the beef in a skillet to a medium rare status, Souma released the lid from the pot letting out the overwhelming aroma. Fumio nearly bounced out her seat in surprise.

" _Who… is this kid?"_

Draining the soup of its liquid contents, he took the beef out of the skillet showing a perfectly pink interior. With one last stroke, Souma plated the salad and dressed it.

For Fumio, this had been a first. No one had taken a weird twist on her test like he had. They always had their own ingredients, but still none would ever trump the pure fragrance of the dish. Looking at the meal in front of her, she was beyond nervous. Finally, after an eternity, she raised her spoon to take a bite.

Ahhhh, she opened her mouth preparing to try the dish. Souma knew ahead of time that she would accept him. He walked to his room. In the background he could hear Fumio losing her senses from the dish. Walking down the hallway, Souma saw a room with steam inside. Confused as to why the rooms are so small and have steam in them, he opened the door. "Eh?"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Inside was a blue-haired girl relaxing in the bathtub. Well, she was relaxing until Souma busted in on her. Keeping his idiotic, but calm composure, Souma stood at the doorway only apologizing and then walked out.

Hearing the young girl scream, multiple of the other residents of the Polar Star dormitory came rushing to her aid only to bump into Souma. Among all the confusion, the other students realized they would be having a new acquittance. "Fumio-san! Let's throw him the party!" Fumio came into the hallway nodding in agreement with the other students. Soon, however, the cheering died down when the blue-haired girl, named Megumi walked out of the bathroom. "Uhmmm…. Sorry!" she managed she get out before hurrying to her room. The others, including oblivious Souma looked on in confusion. But before the atmosphere got too quiet, everyone started introducing themselves.

Shoji, Ryoko, Yuki, Zenji, Satoshi, Shun, Daigo, Megumi, and obviously Souma. These were he people who made up the polar star dormitory.

"The seventh seat huh?" Souma marveled at Satoshi. "Yep!" Isshiki replied with his usual demeanor. He may have been a great cook, but it was still interesting… that he only wore an apron and was otherwise nude. Fumio brought out drinks, card games, and basically forgetting about everything that went down, Megumi continued to party with them, Souma included.

Ryoko showcased her fermentation technique, Yuki showed them her expertise with wild game meats, and Zenji ran his mouth off about other cooking techniques and all sorts of unique ingredients. "Maybe this is a bright place" Souma thought before slipping back into his competitive board game against Daigo and Shoji.

 _ **2 Hours Later**_

Souma had changed, and the party was finally over. Satoshi however, called Souma to meet him in the attic. "Uh… why are we in the attic" Souma asked Satoshi. With no reply, he pulled out a plate of salmon from behind him. "Souma, I understand you are an extremely good chef. I want your input on this dish. It's a brand-new recipe!" Staring at him, Souma felt intimidated for some reason. Satoshi had seemed like a very relaxed person, but his aura was flowing throughout the room.

And besides his presence, Souma looked at the dish. He couldn't help but to try it. Souma got a fork and began to try it. But before he was able to savor the first bite, his body immediately began to move by itself and he finished the salmon in an instance. Still confused as to where the dish went, he only then recognized all the flavors harboring in his mouth. "Well, what'd you think?" Souma replied, "Satoshi-senpai, that-that was super good!" Feeling satisfied with his answer, Satoshi stood up and was preparing to leave, before advising Souma that he should get some sleep. Souma nodded. He had heard endless praise for his own cooking, but he had never downed another person's cooking like that. If Satoshi could only make it to the 7th seat, then Souma wondered if he could ever make it higher.

But as anyone who knew him knows, that wasn't a question. With enough hard work, he persuaded himself that he could make it anywhere. " _These years will be the greatest of my life_ " Souma thought. And although it was going to be, it was not because of achieving that goal of getting into the elite ten. There would be one thing that made him happier, though he doesn't even know yet.

 _ **The Next Day**_

Walking out of the dormitory, Souma caught a glimpse of Megumi and ran to catch up to her. "Megumi!" he shouted. "Which class are we going to today?" Megumi fumbled through her classes, "Today we haveeeee" still searching, but she came to an abrupt pause, "we have Chapelle sensei."

"Oh. I heard he's strict."

Megumi had faced his wrath once before, luckily that was her first and only E, "Yeah, he only gives A's or E's. It's really unfair."

"Well if we get paired up, we don't have to worry about that right?" to which Megumi agreed with. She, alongside the entire school had heard of Souma's passing Erina's test. Sliding open the door, Souma automatically saw two familiar faces, Alice and Ryo. Alice had dropped her argument with Ryo about how molecular gastronomy could enhance a fish's flavor to greet Souma. It just felt right for some reason. "Yukihira Souma-kun, you're in this class?"

"Mhm, you and Ryo also take this class?" Souma asked her. Ryo walked over to greet him also, resisting the urge to put on his bandana and instead just told him," Hi." Alice saw Megumi and couldn't help but feel a tinge on envy, although she did think Souma was kind of cute, she wasn't the type to fall for a person like Souma. Unbeknownst to her, he had felt the same way with Ryo, and they bot felt a tinge of nostalgia when they spoke to each other. What began with a normal question turned into a full-on conversation about their childhoods.

"Hahaha, well yeah I grew up by the ocean kind of like you." Alice looked at him for a second. "Like us? How'd you know we grew up by the ocean?"

Souma was about to say something, before realizing it was just a guess. But it wasn't really a guess. "I-I don't know, I just felt like you were from that kind of place."

Alice wanted to press him harder on the subject. "Do you remember the place by the ocean, who were your friends, where did you live as a child?" All questions that Souma had no direct answer of. "I do remember someone who looked like you."

Alice's eyes widened. Her conscious was going wild. "Is he? No, he can't be my first friend" she kept telling herself. But the more she denied it, the more she started to believe it. "Souma, that scar on your brow. How'd you get it?"

"Well it was this time in this lady's restaurant and my dad was working with her. There was this other li-"

"Hello class. I am Chapelle, your teacher for today. The dish you will be making is beef bourguignon. If your dish is good, I will award you an A. If it is a performance undeserving of an A, it will get an E. Simple as that."

As Souma looked to Megumi to pair with her, Alice pouted. Not wanting to ruin her pride and dignity she decided to pair with Ryo.

"One more thing. I will be assigning the partners."

The students looked around. The teacher would assign partners? Although most of the students were unhappy, Alice found it very conventional for her. She whispered a light prayer that she would get paired with Souma. Souma, on the other hand didn't care who he got paired with. Although getting paired with Megumi, Ryo, or Alice would guarantee him a pass in the class.

After the first few pairs, Chapelle-Sensei pulled out the slip of paper with the name Alice. "We have Alice and…" continuing to pull out another piece of paper, "Yukihira. Get to your stations."

Souma strapped on his bandana and began to move towards Alice's location. However, Alice dragged him by the hand, "Souma-kun~". Blushing from her holding his hand, Alice took the opportunity to make him more embarrassed. "Oh? First time touching another girl?" Alice smirked, "Nah, first time touching someone who's as attractive as you." Souma replied returning Alice's tease making her face beet red.

Not knowing how to respond, Alice just continued to blush. "Just kidding, just kidding" Souma said afterward, which made Alice pout, "I'm not attractive?" she said with puppy eyes. "Of course, you are."

"The next pair… is Ryo and Megumi."

Souma and Alice continued to tease each other while Ryo and Megumi went to their stations. Alice found herself staring at Souma multiple times. "I really do feel like I know you…" she thought.

/

A/N

My writing schedule may change depending on how school progresses, but the way it looks now, it'll be every Saturday/Sunday. May write more or take a break for the holidays. I'll let you guys know in advance.


	5. Chapter 4

" _Me and Ryo?!"_ Megumi thought to herself. Others around her, including Souma had complimented her cooking, but to think she'd be paired up with such a scary looking guy. Nonetheless, she could sense he was a talented cook, more so than she was.

"Hmmmm, don't you know that girl Souma?" Alice asked him. "Yeah" he confirmed while preparing some water in the pot. "We getting started?" he asked her. She wanted to ask Souma more questions and get to know him better. He was entertaining for her, and that's all that mattered. "Not right now" she rejected. Putting her hand on her chin, she once again felt nostalgia, as if they had cooked together before.

Souma put down the pot. "Then what should we do for now?" he wondered out loud. "Maybe some truth or dare?" "Nope" he shut her down, who knows what devilish dares she had prepared. "Then maybe… some never have I ever?" Souma thought about it for a second, then concluded that she probably also had extreme questions ready. However, he abided, "Sure, why not" he said, with a tinge of doubt in his voice."

"Great! I'll go first."

"Sur-"

"Never have I ever lost my virginity"

"WHAT?!"

He may have shouted slightly too loud but was too unsettled by the question to remind himself to speak in an 'inside voice.' Chef Chapelle gave out a cough, obviously directed at the two.

"Ahem..." Souma wheezed. "No, I haven't, and I would hope you haven't either. We're only 15!"

"Souma-kun, you have such a childish mind" she chuckled. She didn't expect him to take her question seriously. Even with that expectation, she wouldn't have been surprised if he said, 'I have.' Souma was pretty good looking, Alice thought with a light blush.

"Anyway, it's my turn" Souma said hoping to embarrass her as she did to him.

They went back and forth asking each other questions, varying from a multitude of different topics.

After some 30 minutes had passed, Chapelle alerted the students of their remaining time. Souma put on his headband, "Want to start cooking now, Alice?"

She nodded her head.

Souma headed off to get some ingredients, while Alice worked on what they already had.

6 ounces of bacon, 3 pounds of beef chuck roast, rice flour, 2 cloves of garlic, butter, mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste, beef stock, onions, thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. Those were the ingredients Souma brought back to Alice.

Alice had already cut the bacon into strips, which Souma aptly cooked the bacon over medium in a Dutch oven for about 5 minutes. After that was done, Alice added the beef pieces into the bacon fat, absorbing the flavors, until they were brown and crusted. She then sautéed onions until they softened, and later sautéing the garlic, adding the tomato paste until it had a pleasing aroma.

Taking the beef, bacon, and some Pinot Noir wine into a pot, Souma then added beef stock, just enough to blanket the beef pieces. He then quickly grabbed the herbs he had gathered earlier and tied them together. After adding the herbs, he simmered the stew under moist heat to tenderize the meat quickly.

Alice was also busy preparing her own mashed potatoes to pair with the Beef Bourguignon.

In a separate pan, buttered, Souma took more onions, the carrots, and mushrooms to sauté. After 4 minutes, he lifted the vegetables from the pot to the stew. With only 5 minutes left, the duo plated the Beef Bourguignon alongside the Mashed Potatoes.

As most of the others were already done, they had been spectating Alice and Souma. Mesmerized by the smell, the students craved the dish. Chapelle jumped in to help Alice and Souma.

Picking up the dish, even Chapelle could tell pre-emptively that it would be a delicious dish. Getting a spoon and preparing to bite it, the aroma overfilled the room.

All the students gathered around to see his reaction.

Upon first bite, Chapelle showed no reaction, no expression. His stone-cold face remained.

But truly, on the inside, Chapelle was rejoicing.

 _Roland! The stew is ready! "Okay mom!"_

Forgetting his surroundings, Chapelle felt his body loosening down. His expression naturally molded into a smile. The students gasped. He was the chef who never smiled after all.

"You two…" he said staring down, "you two get an A" he managed to get out while still retaining his smile. "However, I do get to regret the fact I can't reward you a grade above an A."

"Thanks!" both Souma and Alice exclaimed. However, getting back into her usual habits, Alice had told Souma she did more work than he had. Of course, Souma offered a rebuttal. As they playfully argued, the remainder of the class watched them in awe. They had just made Chapelle smile, yet here they were smiling and joking with each other.

"Ojou-sama" Ryo interrupted them. "Oh" Alice realized that she would have to leave. Alice turned around and waved Souma goodbye. "I'll see you later Yukihira-kun~" Alice chimed. Souma quickly hid his face, he never realized how beautiful she looked. "Yeah-yeah.."

/

Souma walked into his room wondering what a "Shokugeki" was. He had overheard a few other students talking about one being held. And nothing piqued his interest more so than the fact that Erina Nakiri was participating in it.

" _She's shutting down another RS!"_ Souma remembered someone say. What was a RS? Souma decided to ask Megumi later and get a good night's sleep.

 _ **8 Hours Later**_

Megumi was lightly snoring in her room, fast asleep.

"MEGUMI!"

"Huh?!" Megumi jolted awake.

"Oh, you're awake now? Anyway, what's a Shokugeki?"

Megumi was both mad and tired, mostly mad for Souma waking her up. She decided to not express her anger and explain to him.

"It's basically a cooking contest between two consenting people or parties. Something's usually on the line."

Souma thanked her for the explanation and rushed off to another person who he was going to challenge.

"Isshiki-senpai," Souma said with a passion in his voice. "I challenge you to a Shokugeki!"

"No thanks."

A silence rung in the air.

"What!? Why not!?" Souma asked, clearly frustrated.

Satoshi laughed, "I don't like doing those sorts of competitions."

After minutes of resistance, Souma let the topic go.

However, he was still planning on spectating Erina's Shokugeki. If she was truly a talented chef like everyone told him, then it'd be a good chance to see how she cooked.

He told Megumi he was planning to go, and Megumi decided to go watch with him.

/

They finally arrived after 30 minutes of searching around the campus.

Opening the door, the audience was exploding in applause and cheering.

On the Jumbotron, Souma saw Erina standing over a kneeling body. Coming off what he had heard, he assumed that was the president of the RS that was getting shut down.

Seeing this made Souma realize how serious a Shokugeki was.

But the seriousness of the competition only made him crave for competition more.

After the Shokugeki finished, everyone cleared out from the arena. Souma and Megumi followed.

On their way out, they decided to make a detour to get some lunch.

"NOOOOOO!" someone shrieked.

Souma and Megumi rushed towards the sound expecting some trouble.

In a familiar sight, they saw a kneeling body, this time with a tanned girl standing over him.

"Hey," Souma disturbed, "I don't know what's happening but it's obviously not good."

The kneeling man looked at him, some tears in his eyes.

"So? This isn't any of your business."

Assessing the situation, Souma told the girl that he was part of the RS.

"Hmm? Really?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he smirked, "and if you want to shut this RS down, we can put on a Shokugeki."

The girl was upset, she obviously had a good time bullying the other guy.

"Well I was supposed to shut down this RS automatically, but I'll take your challenge" she told him. "What's on the line for you?" she asked.

"If I lose? I'll leave the school. If you lose, then you join this RS. The topic will be Don."

The tanned girl's expression was beyond shocked. He was betting expulsion from Tootsuki. What she had to lose was miniscule compared to him.

"You're on!" she happily accepted the challenge. "I'll be seeing you in a few days. Be ready."

As she left, the other man got up and squeezed Souma and Megumi.

"Thank you two! My name is Kanichi!"

Souma brushed off his thanks, as he truthfully just wanted to do a Shokugeki with somebody.

/

POV: Alice

It was hot outside; the sun was blazing in Alice's face. _"Ugh"_ she thought. She wouldn't have even needed to be outside if Ryo didn't go to the fish market.

Suddenly, in a black car, Ryo walked out.

"Took you long enough" she pouted. Ryo, with his trademark expression half-heartedly apologized.

There was a reason Ryo was out for so long though. He had heard news about a Shokugeki happening between one of Erina's acquaintances and the transfer student, Yukihira Souma.

"Ojou-sama, I heard that the Souma kid got into a scuffle."

"Oh? And what happened?"

"He got into a Shokugeki with Mito."

"What's he betting?"

"Expulsion."

"WHAT!?"

Although she didn't know why she cared so much about him, she was extremely worried.

What if he was her childhood friend? She needed to know. Now more than ever because there was great chance that Souma would lose the Shokugeki and get expelled.

"When is it happening Ryo?"

"In a few days."

Demanding Ryo to sit with her, she groaned and complained to him the entire time.

A/N:

I apologize for the short chapter (shorter than the usual), I really didn't know how to write this part, but the next chapter will be the Shokugeki between Souma and Mito, and of course more Souma x Alice moments.


End file.
